150 THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 



grapes through. In the kettle is kept constantly boiling a solution of 

 water and potash. Soda is not suitable. The very best potash should 

 be used in the proportion of about one pound to twelve gallons of 

 water. The ripe grapes are now brought to the table and emptied 

 in the buckets. A bucket is then hung on the beam, the latter swung 

 and the bucket for a second lowered first in the pure water and then 

 in the boiling potash; but it is immediately withdrawn and immersed 

 in the water-trough. When rinsed for a few seconds, the grapes are 

 taken out and spread on common raisin trays. If the weather is warm, 

 the trays are stacked one on top of the other, and the grapes thus pre- 

 pared are dried in the shade. 



The rinsing of the fruit before drying is of great importance, and 

 by far not sufficiently understood. In Valencia the finest raisins are 

 treated that way and thoroughly rinsed before being dipped in the lye. 

 But nowhere in Spain are the grapes rinsed in water afterwards, and it 

 is yet an undecided question if this rinsing improves or injures the 

 raisins. It is certain that the washing cleanses the berries, as the 

 water in the kettle is sometimes dark and dirty; but if it is an advan- 

 tage to deprive the berries of the lye which more or less sticks to them 

 is very doubtful. It is well known here that lye-dipped raisins are apt 

 to mold if the rains set in while the drying lasts, while we are told 

 that in Spain the dipped raisins do not spoil even if subjected to several 

 showers of rain. From this it will seem as if rinsing after dipping is 

 not necessary or perhaps even injurious, but that, on the contrary, rinsing 

 before dipping is of the utmost importance. It may be possible that 

 the lye which adheres to the grapes will, in a great measure, prevent 

 them from molding. 



In Spain no olive oil is used for mixing in the lye, and it is not 

 likely that the oil process will come in vogue in California until it is 

 fully demonstrated that it not only greatly improves the grapes, but 

 that it also enables the grower to realize a correspondingly better price 

 for his raisins. Those who care to experiment with it cannot do better 

 than to follow the practice as it is used in Smyrna, for a full account 

 of which we beg to refer to the article under that heading. We might 

 here only point out that the oil-dipped raisins of Smyrna bring many 

 times the price of the lye-dipped raisins of Valencia. The arrange- 

 ment of dipping, kettles, etc., may, of course, be greatly varied. 

 Steam may be used for heating the lye and the rinsing water, if it is 

 desired to keep the latter hot, and regular trays might be used to hold 

 the grapes, instead of the buckets referred to above. Every grower 

 will no doubt vary these appliances to suit his own fancy, and improve 

 upon the methods of others. As an example of the devices used by 

 another grower, we here reproduce the following from an essay on 

 bleaching raisin grapes, compiled by the chief viticultural officer, and 

 especially referring to the system used by Mr. Byron Jackson : " Mr. 

 Jackson places the grapes on a tray made with a frame of iron, which 

 is covered with wire gauze with a quarter-inch mesh. The frame pro- 

 jects upwards on the sides to prevent the fruit floating off while in the 

 dip, and is made to receive, as a cover, the wooden tray on which the 

 fruit goes to the dryer. When dipped and rinsed, the wooden tray is 



